As promised last week, Square Enix has shared details on Dragon Quest X's beta test. The company opened a special site for the beta program today. The site does not list the exact start of the beta period, but does promise that applications will be accepted beginning in mid November.
Square Enix wants the following people to sign up for the beta test:
Those who will actively test the game and report bugs
Those who have a Wii and a method of connecting Wii to the internet
Those with Square Enix Members accounts
Those who live in Japan
The page says that those with a Square Enix Members address outside of Japan will not be able to apply.
If you're accepted for the beta, you'll receive a kit with a beta disk, an instruction manual, and a Wii USB memory card. You can also opt to get the kit without the USB card if you have your own USB memory. The USB memory is scheduled to be 16 gigabytes or more, but this is not finalized.
Square Enix also opened a FAQ with basic information for those who've never heard of a "beta test," along with a few additional bits about the beta:
You can create a character from any one of the five tribes. Everyone starts from the same location, but you can expand out from there.
The beta test will allow you to play a bit of the story prologue and face off against some of the bosses, but they're making it so that you can't progress in the story.
For the story, you'll have to pick up the retail version of the game.
You're not supposed to tell other people about the beta or post images or movies.
The character you create for the beta test will most likely not be usable in the final version of the game.
Beta testers will get a special Drackey cap as a bonus (see the screenshot below)
There is no time limit for applying to be a beta tester. Square Enix will continue accepting applications even after the start of the test, and will periodically hold drawings to add more people.
Admission is not based on first-apply-first-in